The Myth of God’s Unconditional ForgivenessBy Patricia Backora

The word “unconditional” or “unconditionally” appears NOWHERE in scripture. Yet this word is one of the main deceptions of satan being preached from pulpits everywhere. Jesus taught that God makes it rain on both the just and unjust (Matt.5:45). In the sense of dispensing NATURAL blessings upon His creation, God cares for everyone, even the most evil of men. He instructs believers to do good even to their enemies. But are God’s spiritual blessings dispensed to all, with no preconditions attached to receiving them?

The apostles never taught that the spiritual blessings of forgiveness and brotherly love are to be freely given to all, even men hardened in defiance against God. Not until recent times have you heard of terms such as “God’s unconditional love” “God’s unconditional mercy” or God’s “unconditional forgiveness”.

You never heard about God’s unconditional love in sermons preached in the 1700’s, 1800’s, or even the first part of the 20th century, before the hippie movement came along promoting free love. I ran a word search through ten sermons of Jonathan Edwards, and not once does the word “unconditional” appear in any context. Instead, Edwards warns repeatedly that man is by nature God’s enemy, separated from His love and under threat of God’s wrath. Edwards taught that only reconciliation with God through Christ can save him from that wrath. Sermons on holiness and the wrath of God are almost never heard anymore. Instead of believing the Bible

when it says God is a consuming Fire (Heb.12:29), God is portrayed as a cuddly teddy bear.

Christians are commanded not to lose their savor (flavor). True salt will make people thirsty. Spiritual salt creates more thirst for Christ, the Living Water, than sugar.

Sugar looks a lot like salt. It pours like salt. But a teaspoon of sugar goes down easier than a spoonful of salt. Like Mary Poppins, modern preachers sing about the wonder-working power of sugar. Preachers are teaching Christians to become sugar, not salt. The only “must” in a Christian life: Be sweet. Never speak out against sin, that’s being negative. Live and let live. Hear no evil, see no evil.

It’s a sin to get angry at sin. SMILE! You can catch more flies with sugar than vinegar (true, but you can catch even more with horse manure). If a gang of teenage thugs beats up your baby on the bus, HURRY! Rush over to them to reassure them that you forgive them and God still loves them just as they are! SEARCH YOUR OWN HEART FIRST for reasons why you might be partly responsible for making those creeps even want to beat your baby up. Even if your child is lying in intensive care and might be brain damaged the rest of his life. Even if those devils aren’t sorry, even if they laugh at your pain and brag about getting off scot-free, you’re expected to give up any wish to see God’s justice done in the situation. Universal Salvationists believe anybody and everybody will eventually make it to heaven (even the devil?) Even if sinners curse Christ with the filthiest insults on their deathbed, they’re destined for an eternity in heaven because God will FORCE them to reconcile with Him. If not before death, then in some imaginary purgatory where they languish in a holding cell till they come to their senses and surrender to Jesus so He’ll let them out. How’s that for sincerely loving Christ? It all boils down to self-interest.

If someone at work spreads ugly rumors about you, RUSH to that person and say YOU’RE to blame for making them want to slander you. Even if you’re totally innocent, SEARCH YOUR OWN HEART for hidden sin first, and confess SOME sin to that person who’s lying on you to the boss to try to steal your job. One popular Christian myth is that only people who are absolutely sinless have the right to complain about abusive treatment!

Confessing fictional sin isn’t humility! It’s a religious deception of satan. The truth is always the truth, even if the truth is in your favor. If you confess to a sin you haven’t committed, that’s just as much a lie as if you try to wiggle out of something you have done.

Does God think you’re a wonderful Christian if you absolve unrepentant sinners of all guilt and responsibility for their sin?

Prov.17: 15 He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.

About the only folks Christians are eager to condemn are other Christians who find fault with unrepentant sinners. And as for taking unwarranted blame for your own victimization, a lie is a lie even if it’s against yourself. If you justify (absolve of guilt) anyone who is clearly in the wrong, and deliberately condemn yourself for something you know you haven’t done, you’re justifying the wicked and condemning the innocent victim as being guilty. Even if you just commit this sin against yourself, it’s still wrong. This verse clearly states that whoever does this is an abomination (hateful thing) to the Lord, not a humble, loving saint. God’s love is not founded on lies, false humility and self-deceit.

Now I’m going to steer into dangerous waters. I won’t pretend I’ve never wondered about ALLEGED Bible contradictions, but I have always tried to HARMONIZE one passage with another. Bless those who curse you. Jesus did say that. But He also said we shouldn’t throw our pearls to the pigs. I can’t pray that a bank robber will live a soft, carefree life with his ill-gotten gains. Yet you should pray for sinners to be saved and do enough good to try to soften their vile heart to be receptive to the gospel. But did God Himself always bless those who hated and cursed Him?

Lev.24: 16 And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death.

Matt.12:31: Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. 32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

See? God has feelings too! No law-abiding believer would ever stone somebody who verbally abused them. Nor would they withhold forgiveness from their abuser for time and eternity. This passage begs a question: Would God refuse to forgive someone who REPENTED of the sin against the Holy Spirit?

Maybe the Pharisees who blasphemed the Holy Spirit couldn’t repent, because they’d so alienated Him that He refused to ever lead them to repentance again. It takes the reconciling work of the

Holy Ghost to enable men to repent toward God (John 16:8-9). And no unrepented-of sin ever gets forgiven by the Lord of Heaven.

We allegedly have to pray that God blesses our abusers so much they’ll get stronger than us and be empowered to hurt us even more. Yet God doesn’t ALWAYS forgive His own abusers! Are we better than God? Only the most arrogant airhead would claim moral superiority to God! God blew His stack numerous times when people committed ONE act of insulting Him, and HE wanted justice to be done.

Many would say God, especially in the OT, went over the top in how He reacted toward those who didn’t treat Him with respect. We are made in His image. God was capable of anger, even great wrath. Yet Christians condemn other Christians for feeling hurt about suffering years of bullying and wanting God to deal fairly with the guilty party.

Whatever vengeance GOD decides on and carries out, that’s His prerogative, not ours (Rom.12:19). But if an actual violent CRIME has been committed, God has appointed state officials to execute earthly retribution on the guilty individual (Rom.13:4). So next time you look at a policeman, remember he’s a minister of God!

Bullying at school or elsewhere, especially the violent kind, should be made a prosecutable CRIME. Teenage punksters PROVEN beyond a shadow of a doubt to be guilty of violent bullying should do hard jail time. And they shouldn’t just while away their hours in jail making paper dolls. They should be outside on a chain gang swinging a pick ax, breaking up granite in a quarry. Then maybe they’d think twice before assaulting someone else!

Take a victim with a STRONG sense of fair play, who truly believes in the justice of God and try ramming this doctrine of Unconditional Forgiveness down his/her throat. I guarantee ya, they’ll keep spitting it back up time and again just like your own body would vomit up rancid meat. It’s just as futile to convince me that UNCONDITIONAL FORGIVENESS OF THE UNREPENTANT is a just, reasonable, fair, godly doctrine as it would be to get your P.C. to accept a faulty program full of bugs. IT JUST DON’T COMPUTE!

I’m tired of guilt being heaped on the victim of abuse while their abuser is showered with sugar! God says you’re to love your neighbor as yourself (Rom.13:9; Gal.5:14; James 2:8). You aren’t commanded to love your neighbor better than yourself. If you desire justice for an injured neighbor, then by implication, it’s right for you to want justice for yourself.

Much love is lavished by Christians on undeserving abusers who have no intention of turning from their wicked ways. But how about loving the victims to help them heal from their spiritual or emotional injuries? What about loving other POTENTIAL victims the abuser might target if he doesn’t suffer some unpleasant consequence from God or earthly law for his offense? If you love your neighbor you won’t want to see him used as a doormat for others to wipe their dirty feet on. If you love yourself as God loves you, then why should you want that for yourself? What if you don’t like to let evil people use you for a doormat? Someone read this verse at a meeting:

Luke 12:58: When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. 59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.

This was misapplied to mean that if we don’t humble ourselves before the person who hurt us and confess that WE’RE the ones at fault, God will take His forgiveness away from us and torment us till we comply with the lie. Someone I know professes to believe in eternal security after salvation but still thinks we can lose out with God unless we love everybody on the planet, regardless of how evil and unrepentant they are. God allegedly expects us to grant absolution to every abuser, dead or alive, in order to be forgiven.

The Holy Spirit will NEVER help anyone do something contrary to God’s own nature. He does NOT forgive unconditionally. Despite praying for 40-odd years for His help to forgive the unrepentant abusers, the Holy Spirit did NOT give me the supernatural power to do so, and I know He never will. Their sin still stands against them in the court of heaven.

I firmly believe unconditional forgiveness is a latter-day heresy and a sin in the sight of a just God. It is a doctrine of demons designed by satan to create conflict, guilt and shame in the hearts of abused believers. It is an insult to His holiness.

Like winning the love of a woman you admire, FORGIVENESS IS A PRIVILEGE, NOT A RIGHT! Jesus said not to cast our pearls (spiritual blessings) before swine, because they’ll only walk all over you and your pearls (Matt.7:6). I don’t think He was telling us to beware of Porkchops the Pig!

Many Christians take love and forgiveness to a bizarre level. If some Christian’s wife lands in bed with the deacon, the cheated-on husband should tearfully confess his faults to the guilty deacon and

beg his forgiveness. He should ask what sin he’d committed to cause the deacon to be tempted by his beautiful blond wife. Presto! The wronged husband is magically transformed into the guilty party who needs to ask the deacon’s forgiveness! The way some Christians interpret Christian “love”, it would be a sin of malice if the injured man refused to give the woman an uncontested divorce so the deacon could marry her! A far bigger sin than the deacon committed!

Did the apostle Paul indiscriminately pray God’s blessings on everybody, friend and foe alike?

2 Tim.1:16: The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for (BECAUSE) he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: 17 But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me. 18 The Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day: and in how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well.

On the other hand,

I Cor.16:22: If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema (accursed) Maranatha.

God’s grace toward the repentant is a FREE gift (Rom.5:15,16,18). You get into trouble with God if you refuse to forgive a brother who owes you something and can’t pay. The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant in Matt. 18 was used as a shaky support for unconditional forgiveness of the unrepentant.

1. This parable was prompted by a question Peter had about forgiving a BROTHER. Unrepentant men of violence are NOT my brother. They’re children of a different daddy, satan (John 8:44; I John 3:10).2. The fellow servant was just that, a fellow servant. That evil thug on the street is not a fellow servant of mine because he serves a different master, the devil.3. The fellow servant ASKED for forgiveness.4. It wasn’t a crime of deliberate malice and violence, simply inability to pay back a MONEY DEBT. Even if it had been a moral offense rather than a monetary debt, the offense should have been forgiven after being sincerely repented of.

The preceding verses in Matt. 18 are part of the same context where this parable is found. This passage proves conclusively that Jesus doesn’t want us to “just let it go” without true reconciliation with the offender:

15 Moreover if THY BROTHER shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained THY BROTHER. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto THE CHURCH: but if he neglect to hear THE CHURCH, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.* * * *This passage has NOTHING to do with dealing with an unbelieving criminal who commits an act of violence against you.

Jesus doesn’t tell you to just brush it off and forget it if another believer sleeps with your wife. All of Matt.18:20-25 specifically addresses how you deal with an erring BROTHER. It does NOT condemn us for refusing to bestow unconditional forgiveness on an unrepentant criminal who stabs you and steals your wallet.

Many present-day beliefs hail from the love & peace hippie generation, not from orthodox Christianity. If some lowlife breaks into your house, kills all your children, rapes your wife, tortures you, steals all you have, burns down your house, then laughs about it at the trial, you’re allegedly still supposed to forgive that cockroach and not wish to see justice done. This is more like Ned Flanders than the Jesus Who said, “Unless you repent you’ll all perish (Luke 13: 3,5). Jesus said this twice in the same context, as if for emphasis.

Luke 11:21: When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:* * * * *Jesus did not rebuke the strong man for protecting his home from violent intruders. He didn’t even rebuke the strong man for being armed. Jesus said the possessions of the strong man were in peace because of the strong man’s actions.

Matt.24:43: But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered (allowed) his house to be broken up.* * * * Jesus does not rebuke the home owner for defending his own property from vandals. He says the strong man should have been vigilant. Not so the strong man could meekly sit and watch the crime happen, but so he could resist the attacker and defend his home. Jesus does not say the home owner should have allowed his home to be trashed in order to turn the other cheek.

Turn the other cheek. What did Jesus mean, examining this saying within the context of his own culture? Back then, one of the worst social insults was to give someone a back-handed slap on the cheek. In Matt.5:39 Jesus specifically says “the right cheek”. Most people are right-handed. If you use your right hand to hit someone on the right side of their face you have to either twist your arm

upside down or use a back-handed slap (that’s how people used to challenge someone else to a duel). But if you turn your left cheek to your enemy also, you’re forcing him to treat you as an equal, because you must strike with the palm, not with the back of the hand.

Jesus didn’t specify which hand the attacker was using. Jesus only mentioned the right cheek and the other cheek of the victim. Another possible interpretation of this passage is this: In Middle Eastern cultures, the left hand is the one used for sanitary purposes. Obviously, toilet paper didn’t exist in Biblical times, so the left hand would have gotten even dirtier. To this day, Arab tribes don’t pick up their food with the left hand, only with the right. To strike somebody on their right cheek with the open palm requires your left hand, which would have been a gross insult to someone in Jesus’ culture. So by turning your LEFT cheek to your attacker, they would have to use their EATING hand, the right hand, to slap your left cheek, and this forces them to view you as an equal. Turning the other cheek would have sent a strong message of rebellion against oppression, not submission to injustice!

Jesus teaches that we’re to deal kindly with enemies, to try to win them through love. But God does NOT let them off the hook if they don’t repent (Exodus 34:7). GOD WILL BY NO MEANS ACQUIT THE GUILTY! And He doesn’t expect us to, either!

Jesus didn’t specifically spell out what “forgiveness” toward a human enemy entails. Does that mean the offender (even an unrepentant one) is given a “get out of jail free card” and doesn’t need to make any restitution? Does it mean you feel all warm and fuzzy toward that individual? Does it mean you never feel bad about the incident ever again, even if you’re left with the entire burden of hurt or expense, or spinoff ramifications resulting from the offense? That’s bondage. God promised that the WICKED, not their victims, would be bound by the cords of their own sins (Prov.5:22).

I think Jesus left it to us to decide what “forgiveness” means on a case by case basis, since all sins aren’t the same. Stealing a pencil doesn’t hurt the other person much. But stealing their reputation, their peace, or their health via violence is a different kettle of fish altogether.

Whatever “forgiveness” means, it cannot mean granting sinners an escape from the judgment of God. Only God has the power to clear a sinner’s records up in heaven. God does NOT justify sinners who refuse to be transformed by the power of the Blood of Jesus.

Some Christians try to “forgive” unrepentant offenders just to make themselves feel better. That’s called therapeutic forgiveness, a

mental exercise whereby you try to convince yourself that there IS no need for justice, and it would be no big deal for unrepentant sinners to bring themselves and all their dirty baggage into heaven so they could turn God’s holy city of love into a great big hog pen of hatred and crime.

Some Christians are told they might get sick or even get cancer if they “harbor unforgiveness”. People are told it is a healing, liberating thing to forgive unrepentant monsters. Personally I never found that to be true. Whenever I attempted such one-sided “forgiveness” I always had the nagging feeling the matter was still unresolved. Only when God showed me that HE was the source of that feeling did I achieve any peace. I spent most of my life struggling and praying to “forgive and go on” just because other Christians told me God loves my abusers so much He doesn’t want to put them through the discomfort of letting them reap the evil they sowed. But hey, wait a minute! Why does the Bible teach that God disciplines His own children and Christians are okay with that, but they worry that the unrepentant sinner might get his hair ruffled by a rebuke from God? Where would be the justice in victims spending a lifetime struggling to overcome the aftereffects of abuse while their cruel abuser enjoyed uninterrupted bliss in life without a single care or regret?

No, I’m not sick or miserable because I can’t grant final absolution to the worst people who bullied me in my youth. I’m far happier now that I’ve been set free to see God in His TOTAL nature, not only as forgiver of the repentant but punisher of the wicked. My health did not deteriorate because of so-called “unforgiveness”. It actually improved once I decided vengeance is God’s job, and realized that what happened to me (and countless others) was a direct slap in His own face and He’s got a good mind to set things to rights in the world to come. I no longer feel guilty for wanting vindication and justice.

No, I’m not falling apart because I don’t pop out UNCONDITIONAL FORGIVENESS like candy. People say I look much younger than my actual age. For the most part, I’m healthy, though I use home remedies for sinusitis. But then again, no one will have an absolutely perfect body till the Rapture.

If there’s any aspect of so-called “unforgiveness” that might make a person ill, it would be to harbor RAGE inside. Rom. 12:19 says vengeance is God’s job. Human beings are incapable of containing that feeling for very long without hurting themselves, and that negative EMOTION could release harmful chemicals to cause illnesses in the body. We weren’t created to contain bad feelings for very long. Only God can contain wrath for extended periods without suffering ill effects. Humans don’t handle wrath very well. It’s not

their bailiwick. The closest I can come to “forgiveness” of the unrepentant ghosts of my past is to commit such individual(s) to God and ask Him to help me to feel nothing at all, because sometimes God doesn’t release me to love a particular sinner if He knows that person will NEVER repent (only He knows for sure). Far from being a cuddly teddy bear who never rebukes anyone, our God is a devouring Fire (Heb.12:29).

It’s a sin to take your own vengeance, aside from the fact it could land you in serious trouble. But as for loving someone else with the love of Christ, it can cause great spiritual confusion inside if you struggle to love someone when CHRIST IN YOU doesn’t love them. In that case, any “loving feeling” you felt toward that person would be a product of fleshly effort, not the Spirit of Christ Who is repelled by that evil individual. That’s why it’s wrong, wrong WRONG for Christians to point the finger and rebuke another Christian for failure to “love” each and every person who walks this planet, no matter how hardened they are in rebellion against God.

Unconditional forgiveness and burying the matter (prime example: when a fellow Christian has deeply hurt you and isn’t sorry) is like trying to bury rotten meat under floorboards and forget about it. NOTHING IN THE BIBLE PROMISES THAT “FORGIVENESS” WILL HEAL A PERSON OR SET THEM FREE. Only Christ can heal and set free, as He made plain when He read His job description in Luke 4:18. In the case of a believer, Christ gives strict instructions on how to handle such an offender.

Matt.18:15: Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

Very, very few churches will do this. They “love” the unrepentant Christian way too much to embarrass him in front of the whole church this way. Even if the offender has cheated a fellow believer of his livelihood, ruined his reputation, or stolen his wife, sparing that sinner’s feelings must take first priority over obeying Christ’s instructions. I personally believe that modern churchianity’s “pick and choose” policy toward keeping Christ’s commandments in order to “keep things nice” is a big reason why God’s power and glory are missing in the church today. Instead of rebuking the unrepentant offender, fellow Christians are far more likely to condemn the victim for not immediately reestablishing full fellowship with that person.

The Lord wrote ICHABOD over the house of Eli the High Priest when he turned a blind eye to sin in the house of the Lord and in the lives of his own sons.

Eli the High Priest didn’t want to make a big fuss about the way his own sons harassed and robbed worshippers in the House of the Lord (I Sam.2:13-17). Eli mildly chided them (verse 23-25) with a warning that God might not like what they were doing. But Eli didn’t have the integrity to inflict sterner punishments on them. Eli loved his sons more than He loved the Lord, so he “forgave” them and hoped the whole matter would just blow over.

But God decided He’d had enough of fraud in His own House.

I Sam.3:11: And the LORD said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. 12 In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. 13 For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. 14 AND THEREFORE I HAVE SWORN UNTO THE HOUSE OF ELI, THAT THE INIQUITY OF ELI'S HOUSE SHALL NOT BE PURGED WITH SACRIFICE NOR OFFERING FOR EVER.

I Sam. 4:14: 14 And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What meaneth the noise of this tumult? And the man came in hastily, and told Eli. 15 Now Eli was ninety and eight years old; and his eyes were dim, that he could not see. 16 And the man said unto Eli, I am he that came out of the army, and I fled to day out of the army. And he said, What is there done, my son? 17 And the messenger answered and said, Israel is fled before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. 18 And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. 19 And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. 20 And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered

not, neither did she regard it. 21 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. 22 And she said, The glory is departed from Israel: for the ark of God is taken.

In the OT, the Ark of God symbolized God’s Presence. Every place where it stood became a hallowed place because of His holiness. When sordid sins of all kinds and believer-on-believer abuse are tolerated in the church instead of being confronted, the glory of God eventually departs from that place. He will not remain in a den of iniquity. I have walked into so-called “churches” before where there was no sense of the Presence of the Lord. One place I visited two or three times, and each time I felt a deep heaviness and grief inside. Other places felt like being in a recreational hall or social club.

When church leaders insist on overlooking the adultery, slanderous gossip, acts of fraud, or other hurtful sins in their congregation, they conveniently ignore Christ’s own warning that those who abuse their fellow servants will be cut to pieces at His Return (Matt.24:48-51). The dog that returns to its own vomit will discover that God will be far angrier with him in the end than if he’d never discovered the Way of Righteousness, only to forsake it (2 Pet.2:20-22).

WHAT THE BIBLE DOES NOT SAY SPEAKS AS CLEARLY AS WHAT IT DOES SAY!

The Jewish Establishment got mad at the apostles for preaching Christ and healing sick and disabled people. They bullied the apostles with threats and beatings. They ordered the apostles to stop preaching about Jesus. After getting this ham-fisted warning, what did the apostles pray?

Acts 4:27: And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. 24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: 25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? 26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. 27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, 28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. 29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy

servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, 30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. 31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

Interesting! Not ONE word of petition for God to forgive their persecutors! Instead, the apostles prayed for God to bless THEMSELVES so they could preach more boldly. Instead of chastising the apostles for failure to beg mercy for their abusers, God filled them with the Holy Ghost!

Today’s soft, mushy Christianity is supersaturated with an airy-fairy sponge cake “love” which demands no repentance and showers UNCONDITIONAL FORGIVENESS on every creepy-crawlie in sight. Study the Book of Acts, the historical record of how the early apostles operated. The word “love” doesn’t even appear. Not even once! Instead of RUSHING to reassure criminals and other sinners that “God loves you and I love you”, the apostles repeatedly commanded sinners to repent to avoid the judgment of God.

What about Christ Himself? How did HE pray?

In John 17:9 Jesus said He prayed NOT FOR THE WORLD (those outside His Kingdom), which certainly includes evil unrepentant bullies! Are we better than Jesus? Jesus didn’t waste His prayers on hardened, stubbornly unrepentant men. He prayed often for His disciples that their faith wouldn’t fail them in the hour of trial (Luke 22:31-32). He prayed that the Father would send His Holy Spirit on His followers (John 14:16). He prayed for Lazarus to be raised from the dead (John 11:41-42). He even prayed for Himself when the trial got greater than He could bear (Matt.26:39; Mark 14:36).

BUT WHO DID JESUS NOT BLESS AND PRAY FOR?

1. Jesus didn’t pray for the wicked religious rulers who mocked Him, hit Him and spit on him (Matt. 26:67-68).

2. Jesus didn’t bless the angry mob who pronounced a curse on themselves and their descendants (Matt.27:25). HE LET THEIR SELF-IMPOSED CURSE TAKE ITS COURSE. Proof? The Romans burnt down their city in 70 A.D., fulfilling Jesus’ warning in Matt.22:7.

3. Jesus didn’t pray for King Herod to see the light when Herod tried to make a fool of (bullied) Jesus by demanding a show of miracles and dressing Him up in a costume (Luke 23:7-11). Nor did Jesus bless or pray for the soldiers who verbally abused Him. He stayed silent.

4. Jesus did talk to Pilate, but He did not bless or pray for him (John 18:33-38).

5. Jesus didn’t bless the men who called Him a bastard (John 8:41). Instead, Jesus defended His divine birth and called His enemies sons of the devil (verse 44).

6. Jesus restored an enemy’s severed ear but didn’t pray for him or say, “I forgive you” (Luke 22:50-51).

7. Jesus didn’t pray for the men who hated His sermon so much they tried to hurl Him over a cliff (Luke 4:14-30). Jesus slipped through the crowd to escape them. But Jesus didn’t turn around and shout “I forgive you all!”

8. Jesus didn’t pray for the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees He scolded in Matt.23. He warned them they were headed for hell.

9. Jesus didn’t stop whipping the buyers and sellers long enough to offer a sweet prayer for God to richly bless them (John 2:13-16).

10. Jesus didn’t stand in the Temple and pray an additional blessing on the scoundrels who were fleecing poor widows (Mark 12:35-40).

11. Jesus didn’t pray for the Rich Young Ruler to change his mind and come back (Luke 18:18-25). Peter didn’t chase him down the street waving a tract.

12. Jesus didn’t offer a sympathetic prayer for the man who got cheated of his inheritance (Luke 12:13-15). He didn’t even pray for his wicked brother.

13. JESUS DIDN’T PRAY FOR GOD TO BLESS AND FORGIVE JUDAS!

Jesus saved the tax collector Zacchaeus (Luke 19:9-10). Jesus spared the woman taken in adultery (John 8:11). Jesus forgave a man He healed (Mark 2:5). But the ONLY scripture verse where the KJV records that Jesus prayed for His own abusers was one disputed by Bible translators, Luke 23:34, which reads: Father, forgive them, for (BECAUSE) they know not what they do. Jesus did NOT seek forgiveness for those who KNEW what they were doing was wrong and didn’t repent of it! If UNCONDITIONAL FORGIVENESS is a correct doctrine, why didn’t Jesus simply shout, “I FORGIVE YOU!” instead of wasting His dying breath to ask His Father to do it? Why didn’t Christ just issue a blanket pardon on ALL those surrounding His cross, regardless of the attitude of their heart?

Some Bible translations have “Father forgive them for they know not what they do” inserted in brackets, meaning this section of Luke 23:34 is of doubtful authenticity and may have been added later by translators. Other translations insert a footnote stating that some ancient manuscripts do not contain these alleged words of Christ. And even if these words ARE valid, Jesus ONLY asked His Father to

forgive THOSE WHO DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING! This contradicts the widespread myth that Jesus Himself believed and taught that ALL sinners should be forgiven, even if they fully realize their actions are wrong and have NO intention of ever repenting.

Stubbornly unrepentant sinners are NOT entitled to the same Christian love as believers. Jesus bore the sins of the REPENTANT, not the unrepentant.

John 6:37: All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.* * * *ALL those given by the Father to Jesus will come to Him. Not one precious drop of Jesus’ atoning blood will have been wasted on the unrepentant who continue to blaspheme Him until the day they die!

Jesus will bring fiery judgment on all unrepentant evildoers (John 5:27-29; 2Thes.1:7-9; Rev.19:11-21). Victims of criminal violence (including bullying) should NOT be held to a higher standard of mercy than Christ Himself, in being expected to patiently bear the sins of the unrepentant and renounce all claims of justice. Some well-meaning Christian counselors will even tell rape victims that they will go to hell if they refuse to forgive the unrepentant assailant who gave them AIDS. The rape victim’s health, peace of mind, and sometimes her virginity, was stolen from her body by force, and now some goodie-two-shoes preacher wants to FORCE forgiveness out of a broken woman’s wounded heart with threats of being eternally damned and tormented in a devil’s hell for something someone else did. Truth is stranger than fiction, and far more outrageous.

FORGIVENESS IS A GIFT! It’s something you offer someone else of your own free will, not something that is blackmailed out of you with threats. I have compared bullying to emotional rape because of the way a bully tears open his victim’s soul to expose it to satanic abuse and inject hatred into it. Whenever spiritual butchers threaten victims with eternal damnation for inability to “forgive” a violent unrepentant abuser, it’s just another act of violence against the innocent. A rape victim has her dignity and bodily integrity brutally stolen from her, at knifepoint. When someone tries to FORCE forgiveness out of the victim (bullying is a violent HATE CRIME against a person’s body or soul), it’s not enough they’ve had their dignity, health and self-worth wrenched away. Now their spiritual peace and hope in God’s justice are being stolen from them by telling them God don’t do justice anymore because all He’s interested in is mercy. What victims cannot give willingly is forcibly pried out of them through censure or threats: unmerited “forgiveness” of an unrepented-of sin, something God Himself doesn’t do (are we better than HE is?). The victim feels like the perpetrator. The victim is told that unless she absolves that grinning monster of all responsibility and guilt for the damage done, she’s

sinning worse than he is. It’s like being brutalized all over again, in a far more degrading way.

I find it odd that so many Christians pressure abused people to automatically forgive the unrepentant while at the same time being pro-war. They’ll offer unquestioning support to any war the government feels like fighting against folks that never attacked their own country, no questions asked. If you wear a uniform you don’t have to forgive offenses that haven’t even been proven to have been committed. Go git ‘em, boys, God is on our side!”

Every unrepentant school bully, whether they profess faith in Christ or not, is going to be put to shame when they stand before Almighty God. Even if they grew up to be a big whiz in their community or “church”, the old record against them still stands. Each and every sin debt they wouldn’t let Christ settle, they’ll have to pay themselves. These days Christians think just like the world. They expect God will just let an old sin “blow over” without repentance, just because it happened last week. They forget about the God Who still remembers how Christians got thrown to the lions in Roman arenas, and the fact a great many of their persecutors never did repent. Did God let that “blow over”, or are martyrs still crying out for vengeance in front of the altar of God in heaven (Rev.6:9-11)?

It’s not always a sin to refuse to forgive. Unrepentant, arrogant sinners don’t deserve forgiveness. They deserve to go to hell. To threaten the victim of a crime with hell if they refuse to love and forgive their unrepentant assailant is just as bad as a rape victim having her “love” forced out of her at knifepoint. Forced love isn’t love at all! God makes it plain He hates certain types of people.

Psalms 11:5: The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

Psalms 5:5: The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest ALL workers of iniquity. 6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor (strongly hate) the bloody and deceitful man.

If any hating has to be done, let God do it. Only He has the wisdom and restraint to know how to handle that feeling. If you can’t feel all warm and wonderful about certain individuals, it’s best to feel nothing at all, and even this is an accomplishment. But this false doctrine of unconditional LOVE for all and sundry just won’t fly.

Some quote this verse to justify WEAK WORM Christianity: Psalms 22:6: But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

Jesus allowed himself to suffer this extreme humiliation to make atonement for our sins. To say Jesus is still a worm, and therefore, we have to be worms too, is to deny countless other verses where Jesus is called a man. Jesus is, at present, glorified, and at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. As He is, so are we in this world (I John 4:17).

Jesus did not fulfill the prophecy about becoming a worm (Psalms 22:6) until the time came for Him to suffer death for our sins. Throughout His public ministry, Jesus said good things about Himself and bad things about His unrepentant enemies. Jesus did not resort to religious flattery to make sinners feel better about themselves.

Some adults carry deep psychological scars from being abused as children (I’m not talking about REASONABLE NONVIOLENT parental discipline). When such adults go to a Christian counselor they’re invariably told they must “forgive” the subhuman father who got drunk and savagely beat the **** out of them or their mother just for the hell of it. Even if this abuse destroyed the child’s self-esteem, made them unable to trust and love other people and ruined their chance of getting a decent job later in life. Forgiveness must be dispensed, no questions asked. Even if it cost the victim a lifetime of trouble and expense to recover from all the spinoff ramifications of his rotten father’s abuse. No, not all sins are the same. I’d say there’s a slight difference between forgetting to attend a child’s soccer game and beating him with a 2 X 4 “to show him who’s boss”. Such bad dads take it out on their kids because they lack the cajones to pick on somebody their own size. And when the abuser is a Christian, they use their religion as an excuse and blame it on Jesus. Any Christian cretin author who sells advice to parents on how to beat the love of Jesus into their poor kids is going to have to give an account of it to God some sad day. Jesus warned that whoever hurt a little child would face a worse fate than being tied to a millstone and drowned in the sea (Matt.18:6).

For more on this sad subject, click onto this link:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/Backside-Baptist-Child-REAR-ing

Those same Christians who “train” their kids’ caboose for burping in church will bend over backwards to be nice to sleazebags who commit real sins. Except for their conduct toward their kids, some Christians believe in total pacifism. Even if their families are harassed by a burglar, Christians allegedly have to act like passive garden slugs waiting to be stepped on by somebody bigger and stronger. Just because it’s wrong to use excessive force against adversaries doesn’t mean we shouldn’t protect society from violent criminals.

Rom.13:4: For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

Paul describes law enforcement officials as bearing the sword in the service of God to execute wrath on evildoers. Not one word of condemnation for failure to love the wicked.

Interestingly, God COMMANDED Old Testament Israelites to inflict His wrath on the wicked. King Saul got in deep trouble for trying to build bridges with the enemy instead of obeying God’s orders to utterly destroy the wicked Amalekites. Later, when Saul was frightened of the Philistines, he had some medium conjure up the departed spirit of the Prophet Samuel. God permitted Samuel to appear, although He hates necromancy.

I Sam.28:15: And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. 16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? 17 And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: 18 Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day. 19 Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.

Saul lost his throne for disobeying God’s orders to execute His wrath. Not only that, he and his sons lost their lives. There seems to be a big difference between what Old Testament believers were expected to do and how believers are to deal with the wicked in this dispensation. Except for law enforcement officials, Christians are not (at least in this life) permitted to execute God’s wrath on anyone. God reserves that prerogative for Himself. We can be glad that we aren’t expected to do like King Saul and LITERALLY take physical revenge on God’s enemies. We can, however, pray the

imprecatory Psalms (psalms pleading for God to punish the wicked) against those who are an actual danger to us or other believers, as the Lord leads. Sometimes judgment begins for the wicked even in this lifetime, so His children can be at rest.

Jesus taught the parable of the unjust judge, who refused to give an oppressed widow justice and avenge her of her adversary. This parable in Luke 18:1-8 is used by Christ to teach believers to be persistent in prayer, that God WILL send the answer. God is far more faithful to do right by you than the judge who got so tired of the widow’s pleas that he gave in and finally avenged her. But notice a couple of things most preachers overlook:

1. Not once in telling this story does Christ ever insinuate that the judge was unjust for finally avenging the widow.2. If Jesus approved of the judge refusing to avenge the woman, even to make things nicer for her oppressor, then why did He call him an unjust judge?3. Jesus did not condemn the widow for wanting justice.4. He did not say the widow should have continued to patiently endure the abuse of the oppressor without complaint. 5. He did not take sides with the widow’s oppressor or say she was being un-Christian for complaining about his abuse. Christ did not rebuke the widow for not dropping the case.6. Jesus promises to speedily avenge His own elect.

What if some thug had jumped Jesus’ mother in the alleyway? Would Jesus have told the criminal that God forgives him for what he’s about to do? Would Jesus have said, “No sweat, man. You’ll eventually make it to heaven anyway. So just go do your thing, there’s nothing to lose.” Would He have said such a thing? Jesus wasn’t a girlie-man. He was a strong carpenter. After Joseph died Jesus became head of His home, and it became His responsibility to protect and provide for Mary. I seriously doubt Jesus would have handed the thug a tract and said “God loves you anyway” while His mother was being beaten up.

The Book of Acts records the missionary activities of the apostles. They won many souls. Yet the word “love” doesn’t appear even once in that book. Sinners should be taught about the love of God which provided a Savior to die for their sins. But they also need to be warned that God views them as His enemies, who are alienated from Him (Rom.5:10; Col.1:21; Eph.4:18).

Peter and Stephen accused their listeners of betraying and murdering Jesus. They didn’t gloss over the fact and “try to build bridges” by being tactful (Acts 2:23;7:52).

Peter didn’t start his messages the way most modern evangelists do: “Brother, Jesus loves you no matter what you’ve done and He has a wonderful plan for your life. Just come up and make your stand for the Kingdom of God.”

This dangerous doctrine of confession-free forgiveness absolves sinners of ALL responsibility to humble themselves before God. Talk about bargain basement forgiveness. Confession-free forgiveness is a great Burger King deal for the unrepentant sinner, and it places the power in THEIR hands! Those who hate you can “have it their way” and call all the shots. They can go on enjoying their ongoing offense against you with no fear of being charged with any sin, because it’s allegedly a light matter to hurt a Christian. Some evil thug who jumped you in the alleyway can just sneer in your face and say “Tee hee hee! You’re a Christian so you have to forgive me! God will punish YOU if you don’t forgive me for anything I feel like doing to you, ha ha ha!”

Sometimes professing believers hurt other Christians, and this is even worse than being persecuted by the world because sheep aren’t supposed to bite. People’s personalities clash. For example, some worldly “Charismatic” woman might poke fun at an old-fashioned Pentecostal who doesn’t believe in hanging out in bars or mixed bathing. It isn’t that the Pentecostal is trying to act legalistic or superior to others. She honestly believes God doesn’t want her to do those things. Her “friend” ridicules her for refusing to wear skin tight pants and tank tops. She mocks her for not dieting to look “slinky”. She mocks the other woman’s mild, gentle nature and tries to anger her by flirting with her husband. She rides the gentler woman to the point there’s no point in continuing the “friendship”.

The bitchy “believer” never repents. In such a case, the second woman should pray for her former friend, but only if the Lord leads (I John 5:16). True prayer is NOT a forced, contrived ritual done out of false guilt or social pressure. Some people tackle prayer like any other chore, something to buckle down and “do”. But all effectual prayer is an outflow of the moving of the Spirit within, not a work of human will (although this doesn’t excuse laziness in seeking God).

The danger of this hypothetical scenario would be that the worldly woman is really poking fun at the Christ in the other woman. Many professing believers skate on the thin ice on the frozen river of their lives and think they’re on solid ground. For the Pentecostal woman to fundamentally “change” to “fit in” with the worldly woman would be to try to rid herself of her own God-given principles to conform to this present wicked world in order to gain greater popularity (Rom.12:2; Gal.1:4).

The false doctrine of unconditional forgiveness of the unrepentant makes mockery of Prov.28:13 which demands confessing and forsaking of sin as God’s condition for mercy. This doctrine of devils frustrates the Holy Spirit’s job of convicting sinners of their lost condition and the dirty state of their heart. Peter wasn’t afraid to lay the blame for Christ’s death squarely where it belonged: on men of his own nation. He didn’t mince words. He accused his own countrymen of killing his Savior (Acts 5:30; 10:39). Peter’s lack of tact and faithfulness to tell the truth resulted in thousands of souls getting saved.

Acts 2:23: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:Acts 2:36: 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

How did Paul feel about those who didn’t love Jesus?

I Cor.16:22: If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema (accursed). Maranatha.

How did Paul feel about those who did nothing worse than disagree with his theology?

Gal.1:8: But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

What’s the matter with Paul? Didn’t he ever hear of “live and let live” and “to each his own”?

How will Jesus deal with hardened, impenitent sinners in the future?

Rev. 19:11: And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.

12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

The following verses of Rev.19 go into gory detail about the punishments suffered by sinners who will NOT receive unconditional forgiveness from Gentle Jesus.

I don’t know about you, but if Jesus will return to carry out the FIERCENESS OF THE WRATH OF ALMIGHTY GOD, how could anyone still cling to the false notion of Him being as weak and gentle as a helpless baby? It’s not just mild annoyance we’re talking about here, but FIERCENESS. We want as many people as possible to be spared that terrible fierceness by repenting and putting their trust in Christ as Savior. Woe unto them if they don’t!

Some point to Jesus’ teaching: Resist not evil (Matt.5:39). This sometimes conjures up the image of becoming a weak doormat who suffers criminal violence without a peep of protest. But this word “resist” is very close in meaning to the Greek word histemi, which means to “stand”, in the same sense a combat soldier stands firmly in place ready to return fire to the enemy. Christ could have primarily been talking about not repaying evil with more evil. Jesus could not have meant that we are to meekly tolerate satan’s activities. Jesus Himself resisted satan in the wilderness (Matt.4:1-17). James instructs believers to resist the devil (James 4:7). Eph.6:10-18 teaches us to stand our ground as we engage in spiritual WARFARE against satan and his evil works.

Romans 12:19 exhorts us not to take our own vengeance, and a lot of Christians stop there and conclude that sinners ought to get away with their sin. But part B of that verse says we refrain from avenging ourselves because we’re making room for God to do it. Perfect divine justice demands just retribution upon unrepentant sinners, and that’s God’s job. He sets us free from the need to avenge ourselves. Some believers are embarrassed about God wanting to avenge evil. So they reinvent God to fit in with their hippie ideal of unconditional love and forgiveness toward every monster in the universe. Which raises another question: if Unconditional Forgiveness is a valid Christian doctrine, why did God bother to

invent hell (Matt.25:41)? Why not just forgive satan and his evil angels instead of sending them down there? Like French’s Mustard, spread the “love” everywhere!

Did Jesus ever resist evil? Christ’s suffering on the cross was terrible beyond all human comprehension. But before the time came for Him to offer Himself up for our sins, there is not ONE recorded example of Jesus getting injured by a criminal, though some attempted to do this (Matt.2:16; Luke 4:28-30; John 10:31).

Up until the time He was to be offered up for our sins, Jesus did not just stand still and let His enemies hurt him. He escaped an angry mob of enemies that wanted to hurl Him over a cliff (Luke 4:29-30). When the Jews got in a bad mood and wanted to stone him for alleged blasphemy, He didn’t just stand there and take it. In Matt. 23:13-39 Jesus DID take a bold stand against evil. He gave the religious hypocrites of His day a good verbal thrashing, threatening them with hell for leading the people astray from the Way of Life. He resisted evil in the Temple when he drove out the buyers and the sellers (John 2: 12-16). Jesus did not tell John or Peter to take a whip to these merchants because it was His job, not theirs.

We are no better than Jesus. If Jesus managed to escape from stone throwers and hostile crowds instead of turning the other cheek to them, why should we want to be doormats for the devil’s children? Some well-meaning Christian suffering addicts go through life wearing a “kick me” sign on their backside. And satan laughs.

Far from being everybody’s favorite doormat, Jesus stood His ground. He excoriated His religious enemies, calling them poisonous snakes, fools, blind guides, whitewashed tombs, and hypocrites (Matt.23:16-33). Rather than showering cheap forgiveness on these evil men like candy, Christ said they deserved the damnation of hell. Jesus even said some of them sinned so bad they’d never be forgiven for it (Mark 3:29). Man, that’s scary!

One popular misconception is that if enough years go by God forgives and forgets, and so should you. No matter how bad you got hurt, no matter what the nature of the offense, no matter how the offense(s) ruined your life, there’s a statute of limitations on God’s perfect justice and the unrepentant sinner gets off scot free just ‘cause it happened long ago. Did Jesus believe this?

Matt.23:34: 34 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 36 Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

From Abel all the way till the time of Jesus. That covers quite a few years, roughly 4000 of them! Yet Jesus holds every single murder of God’s prophets in the history of ancient Israel against the Pharisees of His generation because they would have done the same dirty deed themselves if they’d lived back then! Jesus even scolded those rotten religious rascals for crimes they hadn’t even committed yet, and would commit against His future church!

One perversely prevalent religious myth is that God is an old grandpa softie who nods his head indulgently and doesn’t crack down on evil like he did in the Old Testament. In the Book of Acts, God Himself resisted evil infiltrating into His Church when he executed Ananias and Sapphira for just ONE incident of lying to the Holy Ghost (Acts 5:1-11). If God is that severe toward unrepentant church members (Rom.11:22), why should He let unrepentant, hardened sinners and evildoers off the hook?

Will Jesus act like Ned Flanders when, at the inauguration of His thousand-year Reign, He deals with those who reject His rule over their lives?

Luke 19:27: But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.

Isaiah 11:4b: But with righteousness shall he (the reigning Christ) judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

This verse concurs with the verses in Revelation which predict Jesus’ lion-like response to the sin and rebellion He will find in the earth when He returns.

Some Christians are deeply offended at any suggestion that God is anything but gentle and “nice” toward all, even brutal, unrepentant sadists and rapists. But what was Paul’s attitude to the justice of God? Did he consider it unnecessary or “done away”?

2 Thes.1:6: Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

This passage tells me that God’s people will glorify Him for His perfect justice when He deals justly with unrepentant sinners. They won’t tell the Lion of Judah to count to ten or take an anger management course. The Christians who were cruelly martyred in Roman arenas won’t go down to Nero’s cell in hell and say, “Brother, I’m human too. If I’ve done anything wrong to influence you to want to throw me to the lions, I’m sorry.”

I attended some small prayer meeting where unconditional forgiveness was taught. Sorry, I couldn’t swallow it. At the conclusion of the meeting, the group leader prayed, “And Lord, help us to forgive everyone who hurts us, NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO.” A shiver ran up my spine. Afterward, I prayed for God’s protection from that scary prayer. I learned long ago to be careful what I pray. If you pray for patience, don’t be surprised if the first part of the answer is a nasty trial. In Matt.6:13, Jesus taught us to pray that we wouldn’t be led into temptation (severe testing). I prayed for this man at home, that he would not be severely tested to see if he could live by these words.

Speaking of perilous prayer, I remember one prayer meeting where the leader directly addressed satan: “Satan, I’m not scared of you! Do your worst to me!” I strongly advise against stirring up needless trouble, either with satan or his children.

I find it odd that so many Christians who are all gung ho about fighting foreign wars and bombing somebody else’s thatched hut are the same folks who believe in God’s unconditional love and forgiveness for all men. See any contradiction here?

Are there any preconditions attached to receiving God’s spiritual blessings?

Mark 16:16: He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.John 3: 18 He that believeth on him (Jesus) is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.John 3:36: He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. John 14:21: He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and NOT UNTO THE WORLD?** * * * This is significant. Jesus promises spiritual blessings to those who love Him, not to those in the world (those at enmity with Him).23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode (dwelling place) with him.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Insomuch as we are to deal kindly, fairly, and justly toward all men and to do them no wrong, in that sense we’re to love them. But we cannot love unbelievers in the same sense as members of the family of God.

Most New Testament usages of the verb “forgive” are translated from the Greek word aphiemi, which simply means to “set aside.” In the Strong’s Concordance, this word does not mean forgiveness in and of itself. It does not mean the kind of pardon which grants absolution to an offender, which would set him free from the guilt of his sin and its consequences. It does not suspend the law of sowing and reaping in his life (Gal.6:7). You simply choose to set aside the offense, so as not to bear any grudge against him/her. You then leave that one in God’s hands to deal with justly, which harmonizes with Romans 12:19.

If a stubbornly unrepentant offender thinks there’s no price to pay for the harm he’s done others, he learns only that sin is cheap recreation and he can get away with it time and again. In the long run, it would not be loving for God to let an evil person get away with hurting other people and just shower that one with pleasant things all his life. Far from making him grateful to God and

encouraging repentance toward Him, it would only embolden him to resist the Lord and play perverse games with His grace.

There is a stronger Greek word for “forgive” in the NT, charizomai, which means “to freely forgive as an act of kindness”. This verb is used only three (3) times in the NT, and ALWAYS in relation to other believers, never unrepentant sinners.

There is one other Greek word for “forgive” in the NT, used only once in Luke 6:37, where Jesus says “forgive and ye shall be forgiven”. This word means “to release”, as in forgiving a debt. If someone asks your forgiveness for something or says they can’t pay you back for money or a favor, then set them free from the burden of that debt. You’d want God to do the same for you, and He always expects you to be willing to repent if you’ve done something wrong. The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant comes to mind. The guy who owed the Unmerciful Servant a bit of money asked for mercy. The man bore no hatred or malice against his creditor. He didn’t go around bragging that he’d got away with some awful act of violence against the Unmerciful Servant.

This particular forgiveness verb could never apply to a hardened criminal who laughs about the pain he’s caused you, as the judge lets him off with a warning in a court of law. He has no desire to be set free from sin and its consequences. He doesn’t give a hoot that he’s injured another human being, or that he’s living in open rebellion against God.

Some Christians are so sentimental they would let every single sinner into heaven no matter how hardened in rebellion they are against God. But if God were to allow unrepentant perverts and persecutors into heaven they’d only turn it into hell. Imagine a strip joint on every corner. Imagine X-rated films at the local cinema. Imagine Nero walking the streets of gold taunting Christians about all the fun he had hurting and killing them! Sound far-fetched? Unconditional forgiveness would result in something like that. Forgiveness for all without repentance toward God and faith in Christ (Acts 20: 21) would unleash a floodgate of filth into heaven. God just ain’t gonna let that happen.

Faithful Christians are destined to be co-rulers with Christ (Matt.19:28); 2 Tim.2:12; Rev. 20:6). I wonder how some modern believers would handle the less pleasant aspect of their job, if they were as tolerant toward all men then as they are now? How would lenient Christians deal with mortal sinners who set out to commit some crime in the Millennium? Some would turn a blind eye to the sin and enforce a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in their neck of the woods. Others would put the offender into basket weaving therapy. Still others would give the rebel against Christ a teddy bear and say all he needs is a hug. Jesus will rule with a Rod of Iron, not a fly swatter (Psalms 2:9; Rev.2:27;12:5; 19:15).

In the strictest sense of the term, you cannot grant an unrepentant person forgiveness. Pure forgiveness, as opposed to “just forget it and leave it in God’s hands” means absolution, or a releasing of the offender from the guilt of sin and its consequences. Ultimately only Christ has the power to forgive someone in a redemptive sense, to reconcile him with God. Sins against a Christian aren’t just against that particular individual, they’re also sins against Jesus (Matt.25:40). Even if you got hurt by an unrepentant sinner and you don’t think you’re worth very much, an act of evil against a child of God is also an act against God Himself and the unrepentant sinner must answer for it in the Day of Judgment.

He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit (I Cor.6:17). Simple logic tells you that when someone hurts you they also hurt Christ-in-you, and that only aggravates his guilt in the sight of God.

Eph.1:6: To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

The same God Who feeds the birds and wild animals makes sure there’s food available for lost sinners. God has a creator-creature relationship with those outside Christ, not a Father-son relationship. In the same sense He loves and cares for the rest of His creation He loves them enough to provide food, air and water for them. And, God hopes they’ll come to Christ so He can love them as His dear children. But as long as they persist in rebellion against Him and are outside of Christ, they are not included “in the Beloved”.

It’s satan’s devious strategy to blur the distinction between Christian believers and those who hate Christ. This doctrine of the Brotherhood of All Men is a New Age Lie promoted by satan to help usher in the Antichrist. We don’t owe hardened sinners the same love and forgiveness we extend to our own brethren.

When God forgives a sinner He justifies that sinner (just-if-I’d never sinned), giving him a legally righteous status in His sight through the merits of Christ’s atoning work on His behalf. God justifies the ungodly (Rom.4:5) through faith in Christ, but He does NOT justify the unrepentant. So why should we have to do something God Himself doesn’t do?

God will by no means acquit the guilty (Ex.34:7). Are we held to a higher standard than He is?

Ezekiel 3:19: Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.

Ezekiel 13:22: Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and STRENGTHENED THE HANDS OF THE WICKED, THAT HE SHOULD NOT RETURN FROM HIS WICKED WAY, BY PROMISING HIM LIFE

Christians who condemn other Christians for believing in God’s justice wither the heart of an innocent person with the lie that God is angry with that attitude and it is they, the injured party, who should be ashamed and ought to search their own heart for sin, not the abuser. When you say to an unrepentant slanderer, thief or rapist that “I forgive you and so does God”, you’re denying God’s holy office as Righteous Judge of all the earth (Gen.18:25; 2 Tim.4:8), and making the heart of the righteous victim sad. You’re making his vile abuser bolder to go hurt somebody else. He/she has NO incentive to want to repent and turn to Christ.

People hunt for bargain basement prices when they shop for a car, a TV, a computer, a house. It’s also human nature for a sinner to want to sneak into heaven at the least cost to himself. If forgiveness is available without sincere confession of sin and repentance, then

why should the proud, unrepentant sinner lower himself to grovel before a Holy God? Why should a hardened sinner seek God’s forgiveness when some well-meaning Christian has told him he’s already forgiven and assured of a mansion in heaven? The confused sinner puts two and two together and gets five. Common logic tells him that if he’s forgiven he must be going to heaven if God holds nothing against him. If God unconditionally forgave him once without repentance, he’ll probably brush off every other sin he commits from now till the cows come home. So why not go on his merry way hurting others and blaspheming God till the day he dies? Freedom’s just another word for “ain’t got nothin’ to lose”!

Jesus gave us many more details about hell than heaven. He warned that every tree which doesn’t bring forth good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire (Matt.7:19). “Forgive” an unrepentant sinner as many times as you want, but he’ll still bring forth bad fruit instead of good, and he won’t make it into heaven. God doesn’t hand out cheap grace to the unrepentant.

God is merciful, true. But He is also just. Truth taken to extremes becomes deadly error. If it is dangerous for a believer to presume on God’s mercy and continue in sin (see Romans chapter 6), why should believers think it’s okay for unbelievers to continue in sin and refuse to repent? Far from being a loving thing to do for the offender, this popular but false doctrine of Forgiveness Without Repentance only sets that soul up for a fall into the Bottomless Pit. If any soul is lost because some Christian reassures them they’re ALREADY forgiven and God is merciful ONLY, then it will be, to a large extent, the “forgiving” Christian’s fault that they end up there.

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